World Cycling Championships : Longo, East German Team Score Wins

LYON, France — France’s Jeannie Longo and the East German men’s team added more gold medals to their collections as they won titles Friday in the World Cycling Championships.

Longo gained her third women’s individual pursuit title by winning the three-kilometer event, and the East Germans took the men’s team pursuit, upsetting Olympic champion Soviet Union.

Longo, who holds numerous world records, had to come from behind to beat Petra Rossner of East Germany in 3 minutes 54.45 seconds. Rossner was timed in 3:55.31.

Longo has won a medal in the event for nine straight years, previously getting the gold in 1986 and 1988. She will try for her fourth straight road championship next week at Chambery.

Barbara Ganz of Switzerland came in third in the pursuit, while three-time American champion Mindee Mayfield was fourth.

Ganz, the runner-up to Longo last year, lost to her in the semifinals earlier Friday.

The East German quartet of Steffen Blochwitz, Thomas Liese, Carsten Wolf and Guido Fulst beat the Soviet Union for their fifth title in 10 years.

The East Germans took the lead from the start of the four-kilometer race and swept away from a Soviet team that included individual pursuit winner Viatcheslav Ekimov. The East Germans won by nearly two seconds, 4:16.59 to 4:18.54.

The same Soviet foursome recently set a world indoor record of 4:10.877.

The East German men have won three world titles in this meet.